It is a life-changing thing to go share a meal with somebody.
We do it as family, we do it as friends, but to go to a disaster area, to an area like
this, folks that are under service maybe, and just share a meal, it's an amazing thing.
Something just marvelous happens over that shared meal.
It's such an opportunity to share a love, it's beyond yourself and beyond the natural
ability to have.
MercyChefs was born out of Hurricane Katrina.
I spent 15 years in New Orleans in the hotel restaurant business.
I couldn't watch on TV anymore.
I knew that I had to do something, so I went down and I worked Hurricane Katrina and thought
I had done my thing and came home.
About nine months later, I audibly heard, the only time in my life, I audibly heard God
speak to me and he said, go feed people, just go feed people.
MercyChefs was born not too long after that.
Why not Haiti?
How can you not come to Haiti?
I saw the images on TV and I was just compelled.
Everything had to be done.
I knew that we couldn't fix the whole island, but the Lord has led us to four locations
now that we are able to come in and make an impact.
If you believe in humanity of any kind and believe that faith is important and ethics
are important and people are important, you've got to be here.
I could sit back and send ten dollars and forget about it and never really get involved,
but you've got to get involved and these people are in need.
We just believe it's the right thing to do.
Besides providing equipment, we've had Frank here in Haiti with us the last few days.
To have professional chefs and amazing companies come alongside of us is what makes us able
to go and feed people.
This is the kitchen in Chambray for the children's home and for the school.
These are their cook stands and a little charcoal on that.
There's their fuel.
There's their fuel.
Can you imagine trying to cook in this 90-degree weather with open-flamed charcoal?
Oh, 350 kids out of this.
350 kids out of this.
They will certainly benefit from having their diets increased and changed.
There's the sink.
Yeah.
Wow.
This is a disaster waiting to take somebody out.
It's all about the training, it's all about the equipment, it's all about the investment
that we make that will have lasting impact.
This is why I'm here.
Right here.
This is horrible.
For people to be able to produce the meals for here, how much better we could make their
lives?
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
This is painful.
This is truly painful.
It's not painful now, though, Frank.
There's something on the way, huh?
See that somebody has to leave.
You know, we are blessed with so much in our industry and in the United States.
We have the ability to feed the most incredible food to people that have learned to appreciate
great food.
And we have the greatest of equipment and the greatest of skills and talent.
But there are people here in Haiti that are not getting fed.
You know, we have the equipment and we have the talent, we have the passion to go and
feed those people.
We're able to come here and do something that's not going to matter just today, but
it's going to have a lasting impact in the future.
If we didn't have this stuff, the people here in Chambray would be just the way they
were before the earthquake, only with less buildings.
That we do have this stuff, we're able to provide hope and training and in a way for
them to cook the products that they already have.
You can turn out beautiful products, fresh local products, and you've got all the equipment
to do it.
And you've got a sustainable business sitting right back there in the corner.
So one of the things we really want to focus on is sustainable development, how we can
work with the Haitians to make them sufficient, to give them jobs, to allow them to take care
of themselves.
This equipment is going to give us the vehicle to do that.
Today here in Port-au-Prince at lunch, we met somebody who's been here for seven years.
He is now trying to feed 1,500 people, two meals a day, in one of the 10 cities.
They're doing it on charcoal grills with pots.
Over lunch, we learn of his need, and we know the piece of equipment we need.
We need a 50-gallon jacketed steam kettle, one piece of equipment, one conversation at
lunch in Port-au-Prince, and we're going to be able to triple this man's impact to the
people of Haiti.
There's a lot of things needed, a lot of things that can be simply done to help everybody
in the community.
It's not only your money, it's not only your equipment, it's your spirit, it's your ability
to help.
There's nothing you can do that's too small.
There's nothing you can do that won't make a difference.
Our trade, our abilities, our talents, our skills, our resources, our time, our money
can be used to do so much more in a way that is going to impact lives.
What I'd say to a manufacturer, if they were going to ask me, should I get involved, the
answer is absolutely.
And the reason why I'd say that is, why wouldn't you get involved?
These are people.
This is the world we live in, and they need our help.
